Monthly Archives: June 2013

Swarthmore’s Honors program is one of its claims to distinction. I’ve always enjoyed teaching the seminars, with their close-knit and ambitious discussions, but I have also found the whole program somewhat frustratingly in its eccentricities and emphasis. Essentially the program … Continue reading →

A shorter follow-up on surveillance and Snowden. Jedi mind tricks only work on the weak-minded. So all the pundits who are saying that Snowden should be arrested and thrown in jail forever and ever for committing treason but who are … Continue reading →

Terms like “rape culture” and “gun culture” are useful when they remind us that the harm of a thing is bigger, subtler and more pervasive than the thing itself. When we talk about guns, we’re missing an important point if … Continue reading →